Kauai Surfer Who Survived 15-Foot Tiger Shark Attack Speaks Out

Jade Eckardt
·2 min read
12

On Sunday, 50-year-old Kauai resident Kevin Kanehe was attacked by a "12 to 15-foot" tiger shark while surfing The Bowl at Hanalei Bay.

Kanehe fought off the shark by sticking his finger in its nostril. Doctors say if the shark had completed its bite, Kanehe would have lost his leg.

Instead, he "lost part of his knee cap, tibia, femur, and some muscle tissue. His right hand was also sliced open." Doctors say he's looking at a year for a full recovery.

Kevin and his wife, Deanna, spoke to KITV yesterday evening in the video above.

Deanna said that when her husband was paddling in, he thought to himself, "Oh no what if I lose my leg how am I gonna surf?"

She said he remembered Mike Coots, a fellow Kauai surfer who lost his leg to a shark attack, and thought, "Oh, well he got a prosthetic leg and he surfs so I'll just do that too."

Community members have raised over $52,000 to help Kevin through a GoFundMe.

Deanna said that while Kevin didn't shed tears over the attack, "What brought tears to his eyes was the amount of love and caring from so many people that have shared their positive wishes."

Kevin underwent hand surgery on Wednesday and had an operation on his leg on Sunday.

Deanna shared details on the fundraiser page:

"People that saw it have guessed 12-15 foot tiger shark. The jaws grabbed ahold of his left leg and Kevin used his hands to try to lift it off, one of his fingers went in its nostrils and then it let go."

A surfer named Jeff McBride helped Kanehe make it to shore.

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